Plain Jane in the Spotlight Read online

  ‘All about,’ he murmured, his eyes fixed on the view. Briefly he glanced at her over his shoulder. ‘Do we ever really know what it’s all about?’

  ‘Perhaps it’s better not to,’ she suggested.

  ‘That could be the wisest thing you’ve ever said.’

  He gazed at the view a moment longer, then pulled the huge curtains closed and led her out of the room.

  ‘An early night for me. After this morning I was warned not to be late again.’

  Charlene tidied away plates in the kitchen, then glanced briefly out of a small window that looked out over the front of the building. Suddenly she tensed. Beneath the lamp at the gate she’d just glimpsed a woman followed by a man.

  And the woman had red hair.

  Pictures raged through her mind. The lap dancer who’d set her sights on Travis in the club-she had red hair, didn’t she?

  It was impossible.

  Was it?

  Like the sound of approaching fate, she heard the elevator rise and come to a halt. The next moment Travis’s bell rang.

  She flew into the hall as he approached the front door, catching him just as he reached out to open it. By using all her weight, she was just able to stop him.

  ‘Hey, what-?’

  ‘That girl who sat on your lap. She had red hair, didn’t she?’

  ‘Yes, but-’

  ‘It’s her out there.’

  ‘What? Are you sure?’

  ‘I caught a glimpse of her hair as she went under the lamp. Don’t you see what they’re doing? If you open up, she’ll grab you and the photographer will pounce. Frank Brenton warned us that he’d try something else.’

  ‘Then it’s time I hit back. Stand aside.’

  He made a lunge for the front door. By using all her strength, she was just able to slam him back against the wall.

  ‘Hey, what are you doing?’

  ‘Stopping you making the biggest mistake of your life. Open that door and you’re finished. But you’re not going to, because I’m not going to let you.’

  ‘Oh, you’re not?’

  ‘No, I’m not.’

  ‘Look, I know you mean well, but it’s time for action. I’m going to put a stop to their tricks.’

  ‘But you won’t. You’ll simply hand them another weapon and there’ll be no end to it. Your only hope is to play it cool. Let them hammer on the door as much as they like. It won’t open.’

  ‘Won’t it?’ he growled.

  ‘No, because with your usual brilliance you’ve seen through their rotten little trick and you’re one up on them. That’ll teach Frank Brenton. He won’t enjoy being made a fool of.’

  Travis had been trying to free himself from her, but now he stopped, staring into her face as light dawned.

  ‘It could work,’ he said.

  ‘It’s going to work. Here’s what we do. Make sure all the lights are off and go to bed. When you’re in your room don’t be tempted to pull open the curtains. You’re not there. You’re not here. You’re not anywhere. And don’t answer the phone.’

  He gave her a stunned look. ‘Remind me never to get on your wrong side.’

  ‘That’s a promise.’

  The doorbell rang again. She felt Travis tense, and tightened her grip in case he yielded to temptation. But he stayed completely still, seemingly turned to stone while the bell rang and rang.

  Then the knocking began. Fists thundered against the door, growing louder when they received no response.

  ‘Let’s leave them to it,’ Charlene said softly, drawing him away.

  ‘Will they never stop?’

  ‘Probably not. So what? Let them go on all night. If you don’t go to the door they’ll gain nothing.’

  ‘You think they really would keep that up all night?’

  ‘Unless your neighbours lose patience and threaten them with the police.’

  ‘Think what a story that would make,’ Travis mused, beginning to laugh.

  ‘Oh, yes.’ She laughed with him and they stood together in the dim hallway, shaking, holding on to each other.

  ‘Hey!’ From outside the door came an angry yell. ‘Stop that noise. Some of us want to get some sleep.’

  Mumbles, arguments, exasperation. Finally silence.

  But then came the sound of Travis’s cellphone.

  ‘Don’t answer it,’ Charlene said quickly.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to. I can see it’s a number I don’t recognise. Take no chances.’

  ‘And you won’t answer it if it rings again later?’

  ‘I promise you can safely let me out of your sight. Play it cool. I’m learning a lot from you.’

  Another noise from below.

  ‘That sounded like the front door being slammed.’ Travis went to the tiny window and peered through the crack. ‘Yes, they’re going. It’s over.’

  ‘Yippee! We beat them.’

  ‘You beat them. I’d have walked right into the trap.’ He regarded her with a touch of awe. ‘What was that remark about my usual brilliance? Someone was brilliant, but it wasn’t me.’

  He hugged her, not briefly or lightly, but with both arms folded around her, holding her tight.

  ‘Goodnight,’ he said softly. ‘Thanks for everything.’

  He saw her to her door before going to his own room. There he lay awake for a while, enjoying a feeling of contentment. It was strange to feel that way, he thought, given how recently his nerves had been jangling, but all was well. Instinct, stronger than words, told him that.

  Just once he got up and went out into the hall, lingering outside her door, wondering if by chance Lee was calling her. But there was only silence, and after a while he went back to bed. Smiling, he snuggled down and slept the sleep of the innocent.

  * * *

  When they met in the kitchen next morning Travis eyed her with an air of caution.

  ‘Is everything OK?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m not sure. I’m becoming nervous of you.’ He rubbed his shoulder where it had rammed against the wall in their tussle. ‘Women are supposed to be the weaker sex, but I guess that’s just a myth.’

  ‘Just beware us when we’re really determined.’ She laughed.

  ‘I learned that last night.’ He rubbed his shoulder again. ‘I’m getting used to you beating me up.’

  Suddenly he dropped his joking manner.

  ‘But I’m glad you did. You really saved me from disaster. Why I was crazy enough to argue with you-if I’d opened the door-’

  ‘It did seem strange. I thought you were being cautious.’

  ‘I was, but I lost my temper. It doesn’t happen often, so when it does I don’t tend to think straight.’ He touched her face. ‘Thank you. Thank you more than I can say.’

  She placed her hand over his and held it against her cheek, moved by an emotion for which there were no words.

  ‘I told you about my doctor friend,’ he said. ‘I’m going to send her to see you. She’s a nice lady. She’ll do that test, then you’ll know and you can make decisions.’

  Charlene nodded. ‘Yes, that’s the best way. Thank you.’

  ‘Don’t thank me. I’m in your debt, not the other way around. I’ll call you. Bye.’

  He kissed her cheek and departed.

  Dr Grace Hanley arrived an hour later. She was in her forties with a mature, kindly face. Charlene tried not to feel too nervous. This was it. The final answer.

  They got quickly down to business and soon Grace was studying the test cylinder with a face that revealed nothing.

  ‘Were you hoping to be pregnant?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m not sure. Does that mean it’s a negative?’

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid so.’

  ‘But at least…now I know. Thank you, Doctor. Can I make you some coffee?’

  She was trying to sound normal and untroubled, but the doctor evidently understood her inner turmoil because she declined, patted her hand gently, and departed.

  The walls of the
apartment seemed to crush Charlene in bleak, hopeless silence. So that was that. It had all been for nothing. She’d made a fool of herself by pursuing a man who didn’t want her.

  She lay down, trying to control her flickering memories. There was Lee, or was it Demetrius, smiling as they came offstage after a rehearsal, complimenting her.

  ‘Hey, you really played that scene for all it was worth. Wow!’

  And herself, dazzled to receive a compliment from such a knowledgeable source, gazing at him, starry-eyed.

  She could see him now, warming to her, holding her in his arms, smiling as they made love.

  Or was it love? Perhaps on her side, but whatever he’d been making it wasn’t love. She should have faced that earlier.

  Yet if there had been a baby, might his feelings not have warmed, flowering into family affection that would embrace her and their child?

  Instead-nothing.

  Nothing!

  She was seized by a fierce longing for Travis to be there, wrapping her in his arms, offering brotherly comfort that would have made this bearable.

  No!

  The ferocity of her emotion made her sit up. Hell would freeze over before she became a pathetic, needy creature, clinging to Travis. He would be kind, she knew, but soon the kindness would become forced, as he strove to conceal his exasperation.

  That mustn’t happen. The moment she sensed him thinking, How long must I put up with this? was the moment she would inwardly die. Or run a mile. Or both.

  When he came home she was waiting for him, calm and smiling.

  ‘Everything all right?’ he asked.

  ‘Everything’s fine.’

  He didn’t ask her for the test result. It would have been dishonest when he already knew. As promised, Grace had discreetly texted him one word: No. It might be a disgraceful violation of professional confidence, but friends did that for each other. So he waited for Charlene to speak, which at last she did.

  ‘I’m not pregnant, so that’s that.’ She made a gesture of finality. ‘I’ll make some coffee.’

  She turned away but he detained her. ‘Wait a moment. “That’s that”? Nothing more? You don’t care?’

  ‘Not really. This always seemed likely. And besides, something else has happened.’ She laid her hand over her stomach.

  ‘You mean you’ve finally-?’

  ‘Yes. I don’t know what made me late in the first place, but perhaps it was caused by tension because it started barely an hour after the doctor left. Anyway, it’s the clincher. There’s no baby. There never was, thank goodness.’

  Her voice was bright and efficient, informing him that all was well.

  But he didn’t believe it. All was far from well with a woman who could wear such a dead smile.

  ‘Well, I can see it solves one problem,’ he said cautiously.

  ‘It solves all the problems. Think of the catastrophe if I’d been pregnant while Lee… Ugh!’ She shivered. ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about.’

  Travis was troubled by an inner desire, as mysterious as it was illogical, to hear that she was saddened by the news. But she was bright, breezy, practical. And she froze his heart.

  In the kitchen she made coffee, talking without stopping.

  ‘I’m really sorry to have given you all this trouble. Just think of me making so much fuss about nothing. You must be good ’n’ mad.’

  ‘Not at all,’ he said in an equally unrevealing voice. ‘These things happen. You have to deal with matters as they come up. Sooner or later we all of us-’

  Stop burbling, Travis told himself in disgust.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind but I have to vanish,’ he told her. ‘I’ve got a lot of lines to learn. Goodnight.’

  He grabbed a sandwich and fled to his room.

  So all was well. A potentially awkward situation had vanished. He could continue on his way, planning, calculating, arranging things for his own benefit, doing everything with an eye on his career.

  It was absurd to be disappointed at her sensible reaction. What had he expected?

  As the light failed he rose and drew the curtains across the great windows, shutting out the view. Just to the side was Charlene’s window, already almost covered by curtain, with just a gap of a few inches left.

  There she was, a shadow standing in the gap. Her light was off and in the near darkness it was hard to discern her. He switched off his own light so that he could watch, unobserved in the darkness.

  She stood quite still, looking down at Los Angeles, then gazing up into the sky. Now he could see her face a little more clearly. It was sad, and there was a hint of tears on her cheeks. The mask had fallen away, revealing loneliness and despair.

  Then she did something that broke his heart, leaning her head against the glass, clasping her arms about her body as though to protect herself from some unknown danger, and rocking back and forth.

  That was the truth, he thought, cursing himself for stupidity. And she didn’t trust him enough to let him see her grief. How had he been so easily fooled?

  For a few minutes he paced the floor, then walked out into the hall, heading for her room. But at her door he stopped, aghast at what he could hear from the other side.

  ‘What’s the next flight to London?’ came Charlene’s voice. ‘Midday tomorrow? Right, I’d like to book a ticket-’

  The crash of her door being thrown open made her look up. ‘Hey, what are you doing? Give me that phone.’

  ‘Like hell!’ Travis said, shutting it down. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

  ‘Booking my flight home.’

  ‘And no thought for anyone else,’ he raged. ‘Who cares about the damage you’ll do to me? I put my neck on the line for you, Charlene. I’ve done everything I could to help you. And this is how you thank me. People saw us together, it gave them ideas. Just how do you think I’ll look if they know you’ve fled the country without a backward glance? They’ll laugh themselves sick. I can just hear them-Guess he must be losing his touch! Ho, ho, ho!

  ‘I didn’t make an issue of this when Lee was still in the picture, but now it’s different. You can rescue me or make a fool of me, and you didn’t give me a thought.’

  ‘Travis, please, I didn’t realise-’

  ‘No, you didn’t. I still have problems about that lap dancer. Brenton isn’t giving up, and you’re the only person who can help. So what do you do? Abandon me.’

  ‘I’m sorry. You’re right; I do owe you some help.’

  ‘Yes, I think you do, but of course if you don’t want to bother-’ he retorted.

  ‘I do, I do! I just didn’t think-I’m really sorry-tell me what to do.’

  ‘I want you to stay here, in this apartment. Let the world think we’re a couple.’

  ‘But will that help your image? If people believe we’re living together-is that respectable?’

  ‘It is these days. At one time it would have been a scandal, but now a lot of unmarried couples share a home, and as long as they’re faithful to each other nobody thinks anything of it. It’s lap dancers that get you into trouble. While you’re here, you’re my protection against Brenton and his nasty tricks.’

  ‘All right; you give the orders.’

  ‘That’s what I like to hear.’

  She was baffling, he thought. Nobody, seeing her now, could have suspected the agonised despair that had consumed her only a few minutes ago. She must be a better actress than he’d realised.

  But then, his own performance had been admirable. Outraged pride, indignation at her ‘ingratitude’; these had been master strokes born of desperation. When he’d thought of her returning to England to sit alone in an empty house, he’d known that he had to stop her at all costs. So he’d assumed a new character, aggressive, self-centred, as different from the real Travis as it was possible to get.

  If he said it himself, it had been an award-winner of a performance.

  At her bedroom door he said, ‘You’ll still be here tomorrow?’


  ‘Word of honour.’

  ‘Goodnight. Sleep tight.’

  He walked away without even the briefest backward glance. It took a lot of self-control, but he was getting good at that.

  CHAPTER SIX

  AT BREAKFAST next day Travis said, ‘Has Lee called you?’

  ‘No.’

  Nor would he, Travis thought. He’d dive for cover and hope the storm would pass.

  ‘Have you called him?’ he asked.

  ‘No.’

  ‘You can’t put it off for ever.’ He added reluctantly, ‘Would you like me to-?’

  ‘Thanks, but no. There are some things I must do for myself.’ Charlene gave a little laugh. ‘Oh, Travis, if you could see your face. I’ve never seen a man so relieved.’

  ‘Yes,’ he admitted. ‘But I’d have done it if you’d really wanted me to.’

  How kind he was! she thought. How different from anyone else! Impulsively, she laid a fond hand on his cheek, and he put his own hand over it.

  ‘Time to make our plans,’ he said. ‘I need to flaunt you a bit. I hope you don’t mind.’

  ‘Not at all.’

  ‘We must announce ourselves to the world as a couple. An evening out together, in the spotlight, should do it. The Stollway Hotel is best because they already know you there.’

  ‘Fine. What about the “stage directions”? You’ll have to give me detailed instructions.’

  ‘Good idea. Do you remember, when you go into the hotel there’s a broad staircase leading up from Reception to a landing with a huge picture? Go up there to admire the picture. Stay there until I arrive.’

  ‘And while you’re looking for me you must turn around slowly a few times,’ she said, ‘so everyone can get a good view of you.’

  ‘Right. Walk down the stairs very slowly. I’ll be waiting at the bottom, looking up at you, riveted with admiration. Or should it be adoration?’

  ‘Hmm, I don’t think so,’ she said, considering this seriously. ‘Admiration will be enough for now. Adoration can come later.’

  ‘Aren’t I allowed to fall ecstatically at your feet, overcome with worship?’

  ‘Not just yet, I think.’

  ‘Very well, I’ll control my ardour-for the moment. Later I’ll turn up the heat and sigh yearningly at my goddess. Hey, do you mind? Women don’t usually burst out laughing when I say things like that.’